Various approaches have been taken for incorporating components on a mower to enable the operator to perform trimming and edging operations around landscapes and borders while mowing the yard. Trimming capabilities have been incorporated into specialized apparatus as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,287,683 to Smith and 6,779,325 to Robillard. Inasmuch as most homeowners already have trimmer and mowers and trimming operations are needed in areas inaccessible to a mower, these approaches, in addition to being costly and complex, provide only problematic benefits.
Others have accordingly recognized that it would be desirable to integrate the homeowner's existing equipment to provide concurrent trimming and mowing capabilities. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,374 to Smith patent discloses clamping brackets for mounting a convention weed trimmer on a walk-behind mower 100. The trimmer is mounted at a fixed position at the front wheel. Positioning of the cutting head for trimming requires repetitive maneuvering of the mower to reach needed areas not in the normal mowing path. U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,824 to Aldrich discloses a spring biased arm assembly for vertically mounting an electric trimmer on a riding mower. The trimmer is operated at a normal fixed outboard position and deflects when encountering an obstacle or border. Inasmuch as trimming is commonly done in areas without fixed borders and the cutter is out of sight of the operator, intricate maneuvering of the mower to reach the need areas would prove difficult. U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,969 to Sandy discloses a gas powered trimmer that is mounted by a flexible tether to a support arm attached at the mower deck. While extending the range of movement of the trimmer, the attendant swinging movement of the trimmer makes accurate positioning of the trimmer difficult.